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In quadraginta martyres Sebastenses

HOMILY 19. On the holy forty martyrs.

Who that loves the martyrs could ever have enough of remembering them? because the honor toward the

good fellow-servants is a proof of goodwill toward the common Master. For it is clear that he who accepts noble men will not fall short of imitation in similar circumstances. Bless sincerely the one who has borne witness, so that you may become a martyr by choice, and come forth without persecution, without fire, without scourges, deemed worthy of the same rewards as they. But it is not for us to admire one, nor only two, nor does the number of those blessed proceed up to ten; but forty men, having as it were one soul in divided bodies, in one accord and harmony of faith, showed one endurance against terrible things, and one resistance for the sake of the truth. All were very much like one another, equal in purpose, equal in contest. Therefore they were also deemed worthy of crowns of glory of equal honor.

What speech, then, could attain to their worth? Not even forty tongues would suffice to praise the virtue of so many men. And yet, even if there were only one to be admired, it would be enough to overwhelm the power of our words, let alone so great a multitude, a military phalanx, an unconquerable company, alike invincible in wars and unapproachable in praises. Come then, bringing them into our midst through remembrance, let us establish a common benefit from them for those present, displaying to all, as in a picture, the heroic deeds of the men. Since both orators 31.509 often, and painters, make famous the valiant deeds of wars, the former adorning them with speech, the latter engraving them on tablets, and both have stirred up many to courage. For what the word of history presents through hearing, this painting shows in silence through imitation. So then let us also remind those present of the virtue of these men, and as it were bringing their deeds before their eyes, let us move toward imitation those who are nobler and closer to them in purpose. For this is the encomium of martyrs, the exhortation of the assembled to virtue. For discourses about the saints do not deign to be enslaved to the laws of encomia. Because those who praise take the starting points of their praises from the resources of the world; but for those to whom the world has been crucified, how can anything in it provide a basis for renown? There was not one fatherland for the saints; for one came from one place, another from another. What then? Shall we call them stateless, or citizens of the world, For just as in the contributions of club-feasts the things put down by each become common to the contributors; so also in the case of these blessed ones the fatherland of each is common to all; and all are from all places, giving back to one another the lands that bore them. But rather, what need is there to seek out the earthly ones, when it is possible to consider what their city is now? The city of martyrs, then, is the city of God; of which. God is the artisan and creator, the Jerusalem above that is free, the mother of Paul, and of those like him. But their human lineage was different for each; but the spiritual one is one for all.

For God is their common father, and all are brothers, not born of one man and one woman, but joined to one another in harmony through love by the adoption of the Spirit. A ready chorus, a great addition to those from ages past

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In quadraginta martyres Sebastenses

ΟΜΙΛΙΑ ΙΘʹ. Εἰς τοὺς ἁγίους τεσσαράκοντα μάρτυρας.

Μαρτύρων μνήμης τίς ἂν γένοιτο κόρος τῷ φιλομάρτυρι; διότι ἡ πρὸς τοὺς

ἀγαθοὺς τῶν ὁμοδού λων τιμὴ ἀπόδειξιν ἔχει τῆς πρὸς τὸν κοινὸν ∆εσπό την εὐνοίας. ∆ῆλον γὰρ, ὅτι ὁ τοὺς γενναίους ἄνδρας ἀποδεχόμενος ἐν τοῖς ὁμοίοις καιροῖς οὐκ ἀπολει φθήσεται τῆς μιμήσεως. Μακάρισον γνησίως τὸν μαρτυρήσαντα, ἵνα γένῃ μάρτυς τῇ προαιρέσει, καὶ ἐκβῇς χωρὶς διωγμοῦ, χωρὶς πυρὸς, χωρὶς μα στίγων, τῶν αὐτῶν ἐκείνοις μισθῶν ἠξιωμένος. Ἡμῖν δὲ οὐχ ἕνα πρόκειται θαυμάζειν, οὐδὲ δύο μόνους, οὐδὲ μέχρι δεκάδος ὁ ἀριθμὸς πρόεισι τῶν μακαρι ζομένων· ἀλλὰ τεσσαράκοντα ἄνδρες, ὡς μίαν ψυχὴν ἐν διῃρημένοις σώμασιν ἔχοντες, ἐν μιᾷ συμ πνοίᾳ καὶ ὁμονοίᾳ τῆς πίστεως, μίαν καὶ τὴν πρὸς τὰ δεινὰ καρτερίαν, καὶ τὴν ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀληθείας ἔν στασιν ἐπεδείξαντο. Πάντες παραπλήσιοι ἀλλή λοις, ἴσοι τὴν γνώμην, ἴσοι τὴν ἄθλησιν. ∆ιὸ καὶ ὁμοτίμων τῶν στεφάνων τῆς δόξης κατηξιώθησαν.

Τίς ἂν οὖν ἐφίκοιτο λόγος τῆς τούτων ἀξίας; Οὐδὲ τεσσα ράκοντα γλῶσσαι ἐξήρκεσαν ἂν τοσούτων ἀνδρῶν ἀρετὴν ἀνυμνῆσαι. Καίτοι, εἰ καὶ εἷς ἦν ὁ θαυμαζόμε νος, τήν γε τῶν ἡμετέρων λόγων δύναμιν ἐξήρκει κα ταπαλαῖσαι, μὴ ὅτι πλῆθος τοσοῦτον, φάλαγξ στρα τιωτικὴ, σύστημα δυσκαταγώνιστον, ὁμοίως ἔν τε πολέμοις ἀήττητον καὶ ἐν ἐπαίνοις ἀπρόσιτον. ∆εῦρο δὴ οὖν, εἰς μέσον αὐτοὺς ἀγαγόντες διὰ τῆς ὑπομνήσεως, κοινὴν τὴν ἀπ' αὐτῶν ὠφέλειαν τοῖς παροῦσι καταστησώμεθα, προδείξαντες πᾶσιν, ὥσπερ ἐν γραφῇ, τὰς τῶν ἀνδρῶν ἀριστείας. Ἐπεὶ καὶ πολέμων ἀνδραγαθήματα καὶ λογογράφοι 31.509 πολλάκις, καὶ ζωγράφοι διασημαίνουσιν, οἱ μὲν τῷ λόγῳ διακοσμοῦντες, οἱ δὲ τοῖς πίναξιν ἐγχαράττον τες, καὶ πολλοὺς ἐπήγειραν πρὸς ἀνδρίαν ἑκάτε ροι. Ἃ γὰρ ὁ λόγος τῆς ἱστορίας διὰ τῆς ἀκοῆς παρ ίστησι, ταῦτα γραφικὴ σιωπῶσα διὰ μιμήσεως δεί κνυσιν. Οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀναμνήσωμεν τῆς ἀρετῆς τῶν ἀνδρῶν τοὺς παρόντας, καὶ οἱονεὶ ὑπ' ὄψιν αὐτῶν ἀγαγόντες τὰς πράξεις, κινήσωμεν πρὸς τὴν μίμησιν τοὺς γενναιοτέρους καὶ οἰκειοτέρους αὐτοῖς τὴν προαίρεσιν. Τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι μαρτύρων ἐγκώμιον, ἡ πρὸς ἀρετὴν παράκλησις τῶν συνειλε γμένων. Οὐδὲ γὰρ καταδέχονται νόμοις ἐγκωμίων δουλεύειν οἱ περὶ τῶν ἁγίων λόγοι. ∆ιότι οἱ εὐφη μοῦντες ἐκ τῶν τοῦ κόσμου ἀφορμῶν τὰς ἀρχὰς τῶν εὐφημιῶν λαμβάνουσιν· οἷς δὲ ὁ κόσμος ἐσταύ ρωται, πῶς δύναταί τι τῶν ἐν αὐτῷ ἀφορμὴν παρ έχειν εἰς περιφάνειαν; Οὐκ ἦν μία πατρὶς τοῖς ἁγίοις· ἄλλος γὰρ ἀλλαχόθεν ὥρμητο. Τί οὖν; ἀπό λιδας αὐτοὺς εἴπωμεν, ἢ τῆς οἰκουμένης πολίτας, Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐν ταῖς τῶν ἐράνων συνεισφοραῖς τὰ παρ' ἑκάστου καταβληθέντα κοινὰ τῶν εἰσενεγ κάντων γίνεται· οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν μακαρίων τούτων ἡ ἑκάστου πατρὶς κοινὴ πάντων ἐστί· καὶ πάντες εἰσὶ πανταχόθεν ἀντιδιδόντες ἀλλήλοις τὰς ἐνεγκού σας. Μᾶλλον δὲ τί δεῖ τὰς χαμαὶ κειμένας περιζη τεῖν, ἐξὸν τὴν νῦν αὐτῶν πόλιν, ἥτις ἐστὶν, ἐννοεῖν Πόλις τοίνυν μαρτύρων ἡ πόλις ἐστὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ· ᾗ. τεχνίτης καὶ δημιουργὸς ὁ Θεὸς, ἡ ἄνω Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἡ ἐλευθέρα, ἡ μήτηρ Παύλου, καὶ τῶν ἐκείνῳ παραπλησίων. Γένος δὲ τὸ μὲν ἀνθρώπινον ἄλλο ἄλλου· τὸ δὲ πνευματικὸν ἓν ἁπάντων.

Κοινὸς γὰρ αὐτῶν πατὴρ ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ ἀδελφοὶ πάντες, οὐκ ἀπὸ ἑνὸς καὶ μιᾶς γεννηθέντες, ἀλλ' ἐκ τῆς υἱοθεσίας τοῦ Πνεύματος εἰς τὴν διὰ τῆς ἀγάπης ὁμόνοιαν ἀλ λήλοις συναρμοσθέντες. Χορὸς ἕτοιμος, προσθήκη μεγάλη τῶν ἀπ' αἰῶνος